2014 started great.
I celebrated the New Year on an almost private island in Indonesia, and right after that, I visited the Komodo dragons. Later on, I went on a sailing trip from New Zealand to Chile with a stop in Antarctica. It doesn’t really get any better than that! But after such a demanding and amazing adventure, I needed a break from moving. I had that revelation while hiking in Torres del Paine. We saw a beautiful glacier and all I could think of was, not yet another iceberg!
That’s when we decided to come back to Canada and surprise our parents while resting and trying to figure out our next move. I was happy to see my friends and family after such a long time, but in the same time, my heart was already set on leaving again. I enjoyed the summer, not worrying too much about the numerous resumes I sent that didn’t get me a job. I knew I wanted a break and mostly a job to make some money in order to leave again.
The plan was to quickly find a decent paying job in the tourism industry. But little did I know, it wouldn’t be so easy. We took a lease on an apartment in July for one year. In my head it was still very clear I would easily find something, giving that I had studied and worked in the tourism industry in Quebec City already. Seb found a job right away, he called two places and, sure enough, was called back by both of them offering him a job. I knew it would probably happen like this for him, being a long-distance truck driver, but it took a toll on my morale.
I kept searching for jobs daily, sending out resumes almost every day. It resulted in two interviews in the same week. I thought that I had a very good chance of getting, at least, one of the jobs, but it turned out I didn’t get any. Second hit on my morale.
But giving that the two jobs were more permanent jobs, I though it was almost a good thing as I was looking for a job that would allow me to travel, see other places, meet people etc. That is when I started considering working as a humanitarian. Surely I would find it very rewarding, I would be paid and I would be out of my comfort zone. Exactly what I was looking for!
I started the process to be hired, keeping in mind that it is a lengthy process that can take up to six months. I heard back from the organization within one month, asking me to clarify some documents and resubmit them. I took the time to work on it properly and send them again. It was, by then, already Christmas time. I had been back for over 6 months and still hadn’t find a job. I was starting to contemplate working in a supermarket so I would, at least, be doing something. But then, it didn’t take too long to get an answer from the humanitarian organization; I lacked experience in managing employees. That was once again a big blow, but I kept looking forward as I had sent out my resume to yet another company in the tourism industry.
I keep thinking, this is a new year, it’s got to work at some point. But when I got to the interview, I was told that for the 2 positions they originally had open, they had received over 80 resumes. Of those 80 resumes, they had called in 20 people for interviews and added one more position. The odds were still against me finding my way. I was feeling very discouraged when I decided to focus my energy on writing about my experience. 2015 was going to be better. I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or I would let myself slide into depression, and having already been through a pretty rough time when I was younger, there was no way I was going to do that again.
I kept sending resumes, without any results. In the meantime, Seb and I decided that we didn’t want the same things out of life. During our round the world trip he had talked about owning another house someday, so he decided that was going to be his next move. Finding and buying a house before our apartment lease was over. While he house shopped, I started looking for ways to work some place else. I applied for a job in Antarctica with the UK Antarctica Heritage. They did some promotion this year and got an overwhelming response from all over the world. I knew it was a long shot, but I sent in my paperwork anyway. Obviously, it didn’t pan out, once again.
Tired of trying to get jobs with no results whatsoever, I applied for the Tier-5 visa for the United Kingdom. I filled the paperwork, paid the almost 400 CAD fee and planned a quick round trip to Ottawa in order to get my biometrics taken and submit my application. About 10 days later, I received confirmation that I was granted a 2-year working holiday visa. I booked a flight on May 9, sent a few resumes all over Scotland and England, started packing the stuff I wanted to keep, all while realizing that the breaking-up of the 11-year relationship with Seb was truly happening. It was a challenging time to find some excitement about this new project while going through a separation.
I have no idea what is awaiting me when I’ll get to the United Kingdom, but my plan is to make it work no matter what!
Stay tuned to see how it will turn out…